Marriott Marquis Sculpture Takes Flight

Yesterday, July 31st, the Marriott Marquis' lobby sculpture was hoisted up, over the roof of the hotel and finally down into its final position. With the precision of a NASA lift off, the 5 story skeleton was guided through the sky above Shaw, while onlookers filled the surrounding streets to watch.
The story of the move actually started on Saturday 27th, with a "pre-launch" test;

Hooking up - attaching the crane harness

Checking up - making sure all is secure

Raising up - the sculpture rises off its pad (just a foot off the ground)

Coming down - soft landing, and a successful test run

Removing the crane harness, LPR General Foreman Joshua Coble marks the harness positioning for the big lift

With the crane harness tested and positioning marked, all that was left to do was make the move.
July 31st at noon, was the chosen time, and Artist Rodney Carroll, his wife, crew and onlookers congregated for the take-off;

Re-attaching the crane harness'

It's traditional to add the flag to any large structure being hoisted

The moment of lift-off

Free of the pad, and heading up

up

and away

at its highest point above the hotel

and over the building

and down

Avoiding the skylight trusses requires skill and accuracy

Slick maneuvering and a guiding hand, high above the ground

resuming downward

and into the lobby

and down

Positioning is the next challenge

at this point a 2nd crane needs to assist (to bring the sculpture more to the left)

LPR General Foreman Joshua Coble readies himself for the 2 crane hookup

the 2nd crane snakes its harness between truss 3 and 4

and the 2nd crane has its harness attached

sliding the sculpture left to its prepared spot......and down....landing

Artist Rodney Carroll (left) and  LPR General Foreman Joshua Coble (right) job well done

This was a spectacular show, filled with skill from the ground crew, the high place crew, and the crane operators, culminating in a flawless piece of technical theater. 

The next stage is to add the chrome mesh skin, and 'wings' to the sculpture. Below is the model of the finished sculpture, courtesy of Rodney Carroll;

Model of the final sculpture, courtesy of Artist Rodney Carroll, features 2 wings, and a chrome mesh skin

I have been invited to document the next stage, so keep checking here for pictures of this fascinating process

My sincere thanks to Rodney Carroll, Hensel Phelps, LPR, Capstone and Marriott for allowing me continuing access to document the construction of the DC Marriott Marquis.